This invention relates to a storage medium that can store data acquired, for example, by downloading and a downloading method that makes use of a storage medium of the type mentioned.
In recent years, various services that can download content data such as, for example, digital audio data over a network such as, for example, the Internet have been popularized.
For such downloading of content data, for example, a user starts up application software of an Internet browser installed in a personal computer or the like and operates the personal computer to access a target server through the Internet. The server has, for example, digital audio data of a large number of tunes stored therein as content data.
After the personal computer is connected to the server in such a manner as described above, it issues a request for a tune (digital audio data) selectively designated, for example, by an operation of the user to the server. Thereupon, the user performs several necessary operations such as, for example, inputting of a card number of a credit card so as to make it possible to perform settlement of a consideration for data to be downloaded.
The server first confirms, for example, establishment of settlement and then searches for data of the requested tune and then transmits the searched out data to the personal computer. In other words, the server performs uploading. The personal computer receives the data and writes the data onto a recording medium such as, for example, a hard disk to store them. Downloading of, for example, tune data is performed in such a manner as just described.
To the user, it is preferable that such downloading as described above can be performed in an easier and simpler operation procedure and method. Further, if such easier and simpler downloading is possible, this is preferable also to the party who provides download data because the degree of utilization by such users is likely to increase.